Read the text to learn more about rainforests.

Dorota Giżyńska Welcome To the World of Rainforests

The Rainforest Ecosystem

Rainforestsrainforests [rainforest]Rainforests are considered to be the Earth’s oldest living ecosystemsecosystems [ecosystem]ecosystems and have been on this planet for around 70 million years. More than half of the world’s plants and animal speciesspecies [species]species can be found in the rainforests around the world. This is an amazing figurefigurefigure considering that the total coveragecoveragecoverage of rainforest is only 6% of the Earth’s surface. This just goes to highlight how densedensedense and rich in wildlife these rainforests are. If we were to look into a 10 kilometre squared area of the rainforest, we would probably find over 1,500 different flowering plants, over 750 different species of trees, 400 different species of birds along with 150 species of butterflies. The biomebiomebiome of a rainforest has 4 characteristics: high rainfallrainfallrainfall and temperatures, a wide variety of species and soilsoilsoil poor in nutrientsnutrients [nutrient]nutrients.

Where to Find Rainforests

Rainforests can be found in 6 out of the 7 continents - most of them around the equatorequatorequator. The only continent where you can’t find them is Antarctica. The largest rainforest, and probably the most famous, is the rainforest that surroundssurrounds [surround]surrounds the Amazon river in South America, but they can also be found along the Congo river in Africa, parts of Australia and some of the tropical islands of Southeast Asia. Some parts of Europe and the Pacific Northwest of North America are also home to rainforests.

The Biodiversity of the Rainforest

Rainforests have the richest biodiversitybiodiversitybiodiversity on Earth and are responsible for helping maintain the health and well‑being of our planet. This is mainly done through helping the planet to regulate the climate and because of this rainforests have been described as the Earth’s thermostatthermostatthermostat. Rainforests have the ability to absorb solar radiationradiationradiation which helps to regulate temperatures around the world and keep our planet from becoming too hot or too cold.

Other Benefits of the Rainforests

The Earth’s rainforests benefit us in many ways. The flora and faunaflora and faunaflora and fauna help to produce 20% of our oxygenoxygenoxygen which is why the rainforests are often referred to as “the Earth’s LungsEarth's LungsEarth’s Lungs.” The thick vegetationvegetationvegetation can store large amounts of carbon dioxidecarbon dioxidecarbon dioxide which can reduce the greenhouse gasesgreenhouse gases [greenhouse gas]greenhouse gases. They are produced by humans contributing to the destruction of our planet.

Rainforests and the Water Cycle

Rainforests play a very important roleplay a very important roleplay a very important role in the Earth’s water cycle. More than 50% of all the rain that falls on rainforests is evaporatedevaporated [evaporate]evaporated back into the Earth’s atmosphere. This plays a huge part in helping the planet to regulate a healthy amount of rainfall and to top uptop uptop up the Earth’s natural freshwater supplyfreshwater supplyfreshwater supply.

Threats to the Rainforest

There are many things that might destroy the trees and our world in the long run. Animals, plants, and insects from many species are losing their habitats in rainforests at an alarming rateat an alarming rateat an alarming rate. Because of this, a lot of them have been put on the lists of endangeredendangeredendangered species.

Because rainforests have so many natural resources, cutting down trees is one of the biggest threatsthreats [threat]threats to them. A lot of trees in the rainforest make something called hardwoodhardwoodhardwood, which can be sold for a lot of money. This is why big logginglogginglogging companies are cutting down and damaging huge parts of the forest. Logging destroys the forest so much that it will never grow back.

Cattle ranchingcattle ranchingCattle ranching is another big problem. Large parts of the rainforest have been cut down to make way for cattle farms, in order to feed the global demand for beefglobal demand for beefglobal demand for beef. In order to plant and grow soya, which serves as food to animals, rainforests are being cut down. In the end, this leads to a vicious circlevicious circlevicious circle and the widespread destruction of the rainforest.

1 Źródło: Dorota Giżyńska, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.